The subject matter disclosed herein relates to gasifiers, and more particularly to a gasifier sensor and monitor.
IGCC power plants are capable of generating energy from various carbonaceous feedstocks, such as coal or natural gas, relatively cleanly and efficiently. IGCC technology may convert the carbonaceous feedstock into a gaseous mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), i.e., syngas, by reaction with oxygen and steam in a gasifier. The reactions within the gasifier may create a byproduct referred to as slag. Slag normally runs down the interior wall of a gasifier and ultimately exits the gasifier. At times, the slag may not flow out of the gasifier and may instead collect in the gasifier throat. In order to determine whether slag is blocking the gasifier throat, an operator may need to shut down the gasifier, remove the feed injector, and manually inspect the interior of the gasifier. Unfortunately, the manual inspection results in costly downtime of the gasifier, and is somewhat subjective as it is based on operator experience.